The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.

Over a year since the declaration of open warfare, the situation in the wizarding world was not very good. There were continued deaths all over the country, in the wizarding community and Muggle community alike, and Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters were ascending in strength; most of this was due to the former Minister for MagicCornelius Fudge refusing to acknowledge Voldemort's return in Fudge's desire to prevent the destruction of the peace that the Ministry has worked so hard to maintain and thus losing a chance for the citizens to prepare themselves for this tragedy and allowing the Death Eaters a full year to rebuild their forces unhindered.

In the summer of 1997, Voldemort and his followers plotted to overthrow the Ministry of Magic. To this end, there was a break-out of Death Eaters from Azkaban, which the Ministry decided to keep quiet in order not to spread panic. Voldemort set up his headquarters at Malfoy Manor and had his servants use the Imperius Curse to gain servants in high places within the Ministry. By July, Yaxley relayed information to Voldemort at the Meeting at Malfoy Manor that he had managed to place Pius Thicknesse, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, under the Imperius Curse. Because Thicknesse had regular contact with Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour and with the heads of other Ministry departments, he was useful in subjugating the others to Death Eater control and then having many people to help Voldemort when he eventually decided to stage the coup.[1]

On 1 August, 1997, the Death Eaters put their plan into action. Rufus Scrimgeour was interrogated for information about the whereabouts of Harry Potter, but refused to give in, and was killed. Thicknesse was installed in his place as Voldemort's puppet. The coup was described as "swift and quiet" and virtually silent, and many members of the public were unaware of the take-over. The official version of what happened was that Scrimgeour resigned as minister.

The coup also resulted in Voldemort taking control of the newspaper Daily Prophet, allowing him to control the information given to the public. With this new tool he spread propaganda against Harry Potter, Muggle-borns, and allies of the Order of the Phoenix. This was disguised as the Ministry's new policy.

Remus: "A mixture; but to all intents and purposes they’re the same thing now...they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there. At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding, more Death Eaters were forcing their way into every Order-connected house in the country. No deaths, but they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle’s house, but as you know he wasn’t there, and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks’s family."

Aftermath

"Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when wizards reproduce. Where no proven wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called Muggle-born is likely to have obtained magical power by theft or force. The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power, and to this end has issued an invitation to every so-called Muggle-born to present themselves for interview by the newly appointed Muggle-born Registration Commission."

The Ministry under Voldemort made a great many sweeping changes in line with Death Eater ideology. It was claimed by the Daily Prophet and by Ministry-printed propaganda, that magic could only be inherited, meaning that Muggle-borns must have stolen it from "real" wizards and witches. The Ministry used this excuse to force Muggle-borns to register with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, which convicted them of theft and sentenced them to Azkaban. Attendance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry became mandatory and blood status had to be proven for all students, enabling the Death Eaters to weed out Muggle-born children.[3]